Toilet seat

ABSTRACT

The defecation process can be substantially faciltated by means of a specially contoured toilet seat which is completely adaptable to conventional toilets. The toilet seat has a hinge means for attachment to the toilet and an annular relatively planar section, conforming generally in peripheral configuration to the periphery of the bowl section of the toilet. The hinge post section positioned at the rear end of the toilet. The rear section of the toilet is upwardly and outwardly curved at a steep angle thereby preventing the user from sitting back on the rear section of the toilet seat. The top surfaces of the seat in the rear and side sections slope in an upwardly and outward direction but at a progressively smaller angle than the rear most section. At the front section of the seat particularly in the thigh support region, the surface of the seat is somewhat concave and in a region of the front section the seat slopes in a direction which is the reverse of the slope at the side and rear sections.

United States Patent [191 Kira et al.

[ Jan. 22, 1974 1 1 TOILET SEAT [73] Assignee: American Standard Inc.,New York,

[22] Filed: Sept. 15, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 72,466

[52] US. Cl. 4/237 [51] Int. Cl A47k 13/00 [58] Field of Search 4/234,237, 236, 240

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 807,305 12/1905 Muckenhirn4/234 49,731 9/1865 Davis 4/237 Dl72,564 7/1954 Ring D4/5 1,163,14912/1915 Hooper 4/237 2,099,118 11/1937 Kennedy.... 4/98 3,471,87410/1969 Dixon 4/240 3,520,005 7/1970 Downes 4/234 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 972,607 8/1950 France 4/237 1,267,918 6/1961 France 4/237552,503 11/1956 Belgium 4/234 1,200,475 6/1959 France 4/236 802,8082/1951 Germany 4/240 Primary Examiner-John Petrakes AssistantExaminer-Donald B. Massenberg Attorney, Agent, or FirmSheldon R. Parker;Tennes l. Erstad 5 7 ABSTRACT The defecation process can besubstantially faciltated by means of a specially contoured toilet seatwhich is completely adaptable to conventional toilets. The toilet seathas a hinge means for attachment to the toilet and an annular relativelyplanar section, conforming generally in peripheral configuration t0 theperiphery of the bowl section of the toilet. The hinge post sectionpositioned at the rear end of the toilet. The rear section of the toiletis upwardly and outwardly curved at a steep angle thereby preventing theuser from sitting back on the rear section of the toilet seat. The topsurfaces of the seat in the rear and side sections slope in an upwardlyand outward direction but at a progressively smaller angle than the rearmost section. At the front section of the seat particularly in the thighsupport region, the surface of the seat is somewhat concave and in aregion of the front section the seat slopes in a direction which is thereverse of the slope at the side and rear sections.

13 Claims, 22 Drawing Figures PIJENTEU 3.786522 SHEET 1 (If 6 INVENTORSAlexander Klra ATTORNEY PATENTEB 3. 786.522

SHEET 2 ur 6 FIG-2 FIG.4

PATENImJmmm sum MP 5 TOILET SEAT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates to a toilet seat and moreparticularly to a toilet seat which has the top part contoured so as toproperly support the body during defecation.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art Toilet seats have been in use for manyyears and have not appreciably changed in their configuration. Toiletseats are typically not even contoured so as to conform to theconfiguration of the anatomy of the user of the toilet seat.Conventional toilet seats typically tend to cause the legs of the userto become numb because of poor circulation after long periods of use andalso tend to compress the buttocks so as to hamper the defecationprocess. The various objectives which should be served by 'the toiletseat, along with the defectation difficulties encountered inconventional toilet seats is extensively discussed in the book TheBathroom by Alexander Kira. Optimum designs of a toilet seat arepresented in the book. However, the optimum design requires theredesigning of the conventional toilet. In order to achieve wide spreadand immediate acceptance an improved toilet seat would have to bereadily adaptable to conventional toilets.

US. Pat. No. 3,520,005, also goes into discussions of some of thecriteria which go into the design of a toilet seat structure.

As discussed by Mr. Kira in his book, the physiological acts which areinvolved in the process of defecation include the contracting of thediaphragm and the muscles of the abdominal wall, and the relaxing of theexternal sphincter muscle which controls the opening of the anal canal.The position of the person greatly affects the ability to contract theproper muscles and relax the external sphincter muscle.

In those places in the world where water closets are not employed asquatting position is used which is physiologically, the most desirableposition. It is desirable for the person to assume a doubled over orsquatting position as closely resembling that position which would beused if a water closet were not employed. Mr. Kira indicates that fromthe standpoint of water closet design it would be desirable to provideeither a high stand-up or lean-on fixture or to equip standard highwater closets with foot rests so that the effects would be to relativelyraise the seat so that the body would be assuming a squatting position,or to provide a low fixture so that the user would straddle or squat onthe fixture. Although the modern toilet is in effect too high even forsome adults, as a practical matter they cannot expect people tosubstitute a more desirable toilet design for the currently employedwater closet nor is it believed that it would be a simple matter toencourage consumers to buy a more ideally designed water closet.

An alternate approach to the redesign of the toilet is a redesign of thetoilet seat. Conventionally employed toilet seats in combination withthe conventional toilet tend to prevent the spreading of the buttocksand create difficulties in regard to the relaxing of the anal sphinctermuscle. As indicated by Mr. Kira, when using conventional water closetseats it is typically almost impossible to pass wind when normallyseated without shifting ones weight so as to allow the buttocks tospread and the sphincter muscles to relax."

One approach that is discussed, is the supporting of the ischialtuberosities, in order to properly support the body rather thansupporting the body in the manner of the conventional water closet.

The approach discussed in US. Pat. No. 3,520,005, is to provide a toiletseat which has a one-piece generally annular seat provided with a frontportion which is elevated relatively to the rear portion of the seat.This will cause the user to assume a position which more nearlyresembles a squatting position than is possible with conventional toiletseats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that the defecationprocess can be substantially facilitated by means of a speciallycontoured toilet seat which is completely adaptable to conventionaltoilets. The toilet seat is provided with a unique contour andconfiguration so as to enable the user to assume a position more nearlyresembling a squatting position than is possible with a conventionaltoilet seat.

In accordance with the present invention an annular toilet seat isprovided with a hinge means for attachment of the seat to the toilet.The hinge post section positioned at rear section of the toilet seat,which is upwardly and outwardly curved at a steep angle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects and advantages of theinvention will become apparent and the invention will be understood asthe description of the invention proceeds, particularly when takentogether with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numeralsindicate similar parts throughout the several drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toilet seat in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagramatic plan view, illustration showing a person seatedon a conventional toilet seat;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear view, partly in section, corresponding toFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagramatic plan view illustrating a person seated on thetoilet seat of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear view, partly in section, corresponding toFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the toilet seat of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the toilet seat of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 88, of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8a is an enlarged fragmentary view of the rear section of FIG. 8;

FIG. 9, is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 9-9, of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10, is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines I0I0, of FIG.6;

FIG. II, is a partial cross-sectional front view with section takenalong lines llAl1A of FIG. 6;

FIG. Illa is an enlarged view of the portion of FIG. 11 which is incross-section;

FIGS. 12a, 112b, 12c, 12d and 12e are cross-sectional views taken alonglines 12a12a, 12b12b, 12c-12c, l2d--ll2d, 12e--l2e, respectively of FIG.6;

FIGS. I3a, 13b, and 13c are cross-sectional views taken along linesl3a-l3a, l3b-l3b, and 13c13c of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic fragmentary side view illustrating the use ofthe toilet seat of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As seen in the perspective view ofFIG. I a toilet seat 20 is provided with a high curved back region 22, aconcavely curved intermediate or side region 24 and an enlarged thighsupporting region 26.

As shown in FIG. 2 a person using a conventional toilet seat may sitwith the legs together and receive primary support of the body in thethigh region. This is particularly true of women who tend to berestricted by their clothing. In any event as shown in FIG. 3 thecurvature and configuration of the conventional toilet seat 30 is suchthat pressure is typically applied to the buttocks in such a manner soas to compress the buttocks and keep the sphincter in a tightlycontracted state. By way of contrast, as shown in FIG. I, the user ofthe toilet seat 26 designed in accordance with the present invention, isencouraged if not actually forced to sit with the legs spread apart, andis encouraged to lean forward to a semi-squat position typically withthe arms atop of the thighs as shown in FIG. I4. This posture isdesirable for defecation because it shifts the weight emphasis off thebuttocks and onto the thighs, allowing the buttocks to be properlyspread. Concavature of the seat opening in combination with theaforementioned factors aid in the spreading of the buttocks asillustrated in FIG. 5 thereby enabling the user to relax the sphinctermuscle as required in the defecation process.

A proper dimensioning of the various sections of the toilet seat and thecontouring of the toilet seat is essential in order to achieve therequired seating position for defecation. As shown in FIG. 6 the toiletseat is provided with a front region 6d, a side region 62, and a rearregion 64. The outer peripheral edge 66 of the generally annular toiletseat conforms approximately to the contour of the toilet with which itis used. The inner peripheral edge 68 is contoured in accordance withphysiological requirements. Some departure of the contour of the outerperiphery 66 from the contour of the toilet seat 29, from theconventional water closet may be required because of the requirementthat the toilet seat provide proper support.

By way of illustration FIG. 6 shows an open front toilet seat. However,it should be understood that this is intended to be a matter ofillustrative convenience and a closed front toilet seat can also beemployed by simply having a continuous outer periphery es and acontinuous inner periphery 63.

As shown in FIG. '7, the buttons '70 which support the toilet seat onthe top surface of the water closet lie in a plane which is of courseparallel to the plane of the top surface of the water closet. It shouldalso be noted that a region 7I of the toilet seat extends below thisplane.

FIG. I4 shows a person sitting on a toilet seat which is in position ona conventional toilet. Although the desired height for a water closetwould be on the order of 9 inches, conventional water closets typicallyhave a distance from their top surface 80 to the lower height 82 ofabout 14 or 15 inches. The toilet seat itself raises the height of theperson using the water closet an additional inch or two. It is evidentfrom FIG. I l that a person using the toilet seat of the presentinvention would have the lower extremity of his body at a height belowthe top surface (III of the toilet. The buttocks of the person extendbelow the bottom edge 83 of the toilet seat which in turn is lower thanthe bottom surface 84, of the button 74). The bottom surface 84 of thebutton '70 coincides in height to the top surface 8d of the watercloset. While the user would still not be in the optimum squattingposition nevertheless the seat would enable a person to more nearlyassume this desired squatting position than is possible with theconventional toilet seats.

As shown in FIG. (I the rear section of the toilet seat is provided witha high back As evident from FIG. Id, the high back section encouragesthe user to lean forward in the seat with the hands resting on the legsin a position somewhat resembling a squatting position.

The high back section, as shown in FIG. 8a, forms an acute angle titlawith the plane of the top surface of the toilet seat. The angleprogressively increases the steepness in the direction of the upper edge85 of the high back section 88. The angle is preferably on the order of55 with respect to the plane of the top surface of the toilet. An angleless than about 45 will permit the user to sit upon the high back regiontherefore defeating the purpose of this deeping inclined region.

The inclination of the top surface of the seat is seen to decrease whenlooking at cross-sections through the seat, progressing from the middleof the rear section or towards the front region of the toilet seat.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 9 the slope of angle is on the order of about 35.as shown in FIG. 10, the slope of the angle Itltl is about 25. and theslope ofthe angle Iltl is about 20.

As evident from FIGS. I, 5, 7, 8 and I4, the toilet seat 20, provides aconcave seating region in the rear half of the seat. The front half ofthe seat 20, actually reverse in curvature with respect to the rear halfand provides what can be considered to be a convex support surface.

As shown in FIG. II, the upper inner edge I12 of the seat 20 is higherthan the corresponding upper outer edge II4.

The series of cross-sectional views of FIGS. 12a, I2b, 12c, I2d, and Heare taken along parallel planes which are perpendicular to the centerline of the leg, as shown in FIG. I, which shows the desirable spreadleg position.

In FIG. 112a, the top surface IZII, is almost flat, and forms a veryshallow angle with respect to the plane of the top surface of thetoilet.

The top surface I22, as seen in FIG. 12b, is slightly concave as is alsotrue for the top surfaces I24, I26, and I28 of FIGS. I20, I2d, and I3erespectively. A slight ridge effect I27 is apparent in FIG. 12d, and inFIG. I22, it is seen that the upper, inner edge I29 of the seat, ishigher than the outer upper edge I23.

Obviously, it would not be comfortable to rest the thigh on the ridgeportion I27, of the top surface of the toilet seat, so that the userwould be discouraged from sitting with the legs closer together, asshown in FIG. 2.

The FIGS. I30, I31) and I30 are parallel crosssections which arerelatively perpendicular to what might be called the center line of thefront section or thigh support region of the seat 20.

The top surface I34) is slightly concave with the inner upper edge 11311and outer upper edge I33 approximately equal in distance from the topsurface of the toilet.

The top surface I32 is also slightly concave, but the upper inner edgeI35 is slightly higher than the outer upper edge I337. In FIG. I3c, thetop surface IBM. is seen to slope in a downward direction, from theupper inner edge 139 to the upper outer edge 141. The slope of thesurface 134 is noted to be the reverse of the slope of the surface 120,which slopes upwardly from the upper inner edge 121 to the upper outeredge 123.

The distance between the inner edges 61 and 63, in the open front toiletseat is preferably about 3 inches. An opening of greater than 4 inchessubstantially subtracts from the region of the seat which is requiredfor support of the thighs.

The width of the pad or thigh support region of the seat, that is thedistance between the inner edge 68 and the outer edge 66, in the frontquarter of the seat, must be at least 4.5 inches and advantageouslyabout 5 inches in order to provide the requisite comfort for the user. Awidth of about 6.5 inches-has been found to be the maximum which avoidsexcessive overhang of the seat beyond the toilet without excessivelylimiting the interior opening of the seat.

The distance between the center of the seat opening and the back ridge67, must be no greater than about 6.5 inches in order to maintain thetactile feeling which suggests the semisquat position, but must be atleast about 6 inches so that the high back region of the seat does notpresent an obstacle when sitting down.

The horizontal distance between the upper edge 85 of the high back ofthe seat and the inner edge 67, of the seat opening, should be minimizedin order to prevent soiling of the seat and to allow room for wipingoneself after defecation. A distance of less than about 2 inches,preferably about 1.5 inches has been found to provide the desiredresults.

The hinge means employed for attaching the seat 20, to the toilet 140,is not critical and any conventional hinge can be used. Obviously, atoilet seat cover can be employed if so desired. Also the material fromwhich the seat is constructed is not critical and any of the commonlyemployed materials such as wood or wood compositions, plastics or evenmetals can be used.

It should be noted that the term concave has been employed herein todescribe the curvature of the toilet seat of the invention. It should beapparent that the term is not intended to describe the incidentalconcavature which exists in conventional toilet seats of the type shownin FIG. 3. In this case, and in the case of the seat of FIG. 5, thesurface of the seat at the region, that is the region immediatelyadjacent the seat opening is somewhat concave in configuration. However,the seats of FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 are not both considered to becategorizable as concave. The principle support surface of the seat ofFIG. 3 is itself substantially planar or convex, so that both a concaveand convex support configuration is present. By way of contrast, thethigh and buttocks supporting surfaces of the seat 20, as seen in FIGS.5 and 11, for example, are concave and the overall support configurationin the buttocks support region, as seen in FIG. 5, is concave.

What is claimed is:

1. In association with a conventional toilet bowl having a horizontalupper face located the normal chairheight distance above floor level: animproved toilet seat connected to the bowl to overlie the bowl upperface;

the upper surface of said seat including a steeplysloped dished upperrear surface area for supportive engagement with the users pelvis, twoshallowly-sloped dished upper side surface areas extending forwardlyupper the rear surface area for supportive engagement with the usersbuttocks, and two generally flat horizontal upper front surface areasextending forwardly and inwardly from the side surface areas forsupportive engagement with the users thighs.

2. The seat of claim 1 wherein the side and front upper surface areasare on approximately the same horizontal level so that the users thighsextend generally horizontally.

3. The seat of claim 1 wherein the rear surface area extends anappreciable distance above the side surface areas whereby the rearsurface area exerts an extensive stress urging the user to bendforwardly at the waist.

4. The seat of claim 1 wherein the rear upper surface area has a slopeangle of about 55, and the upper side surface areas have slope angles ofabout 20.

5. The seat of claim 1 wherein the thigh-supporting surfaces, measuredfrom the inner edge of the seat to the outer edge, are about 5 inches inthe horizontal direction; said thigh-supporting surfaces being spacedapart about 3 inches.

6. The seat of claim 1 wherein the upper rear surface area has afront-to-rear dimension, measured in a horizontal direction, of aboutone and one-half inches.

7. The seat of claim I wherein the front outer edges of the seat conformgenerally to the plan contour of the bowl to provide substantially noseat overhang; the thigh-supporting surfaces extending inwardly from theseat outer edge for a distance of about 5 inches; said thigh-supportingsurfaces being spaced apart about 3 inches.

8. An improved toilet seat connectable to a conventional toilet bowl tooverlie the bowl upper face;

said seat being located on a generally horizontal level, and beinggenerally u-shaped in top plan outline;

the upper surface of said seat including a steeplysloped dished upperrear surface area for supportive engagement with the users pelvis, twoshallowly-sloped dished upper side surface areas extending forwardlyfrom the rear surface area for supportive engagement with the usersbuttocks, and two generally flat horizontal upper front surface areasextending forwardly and inwardly from the side surface areas forsupportive engagement with the users thighs; said front surface areasbeing spaced apart about 3 inches, and said front surface areas havinginner surface zones that extend considerable distances rearwardly fromthe front edge of the seat to provide extensive supportive areas for theusers thighs.

9. The seat of claim 8 wherein the rear upper surface area has a slopeangle of about 55, and the upper side surface areas of about 20; theupper rear surface area having a front-to-rear dimension, measured in ahorizontal direction, of about 1% inches; the space circumscribed by theaforementioned upper surface areas being a generally circular openinghaving a radius of about 4% inches; and said upper front surface areasextending forwardly of said circular opening for a distance of about 4inches.

10. The seat of claim 9 wherein the steeply-sloped surface area hasslope angle of about 55, and the shallowly-sloped surface areas haveslope angles of about 20.

1 l. The seat of claim wherein the thigh-supporting surfaces measureabout 5 inches from the seat inner edge to the seat outer edge.

12. A toilet seat for positioning a conventional bowl, said seat havingan outer peripheral edge and an inner peripheral edge; the upper surfaceof the seat including a steeply-sloped dished upper rear surface areaextending from the seat outer edge to the seat inner edge for supportiveengagement with the users pelvis; two shallowly-sloped dished upper sidesurface areas extending from the outer seat edge to the inner seat edgefor sup- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION patent3,7 ,5 Dated January 22, 197A Invent0r(s) Alexander i'iira. et al.

It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent andthat said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 6, claim l, line 1, after forward1y" delete "upper and insertfrom Signed and sealed this lL th day of May 1971;.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD PLFLETCHEILJR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents 9 USCQMM-DC 6031mm l P U.5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1|,O-l'C-SSL

1. In association with a conventional toilet bowl having a horizontalupper face located the normal chair-height distance above floor level:an improved toilet seat connected to the bowl to overlie the bowl upperface; the upper surface of said seat including a steeply-sloped dishedupper rear surface area for supportive engagement with the user''spelvis, two shallowly-sloped dished upper side surface areas extendingforwardly upper the rear surface area for supportive engagement with theuser''s buttocks, and two generally flat horizontal upper front surfaceareas extending forwardly and inwardly from the side surface areas forsupportive engagement with the user''s thighs.
 2. The seat of claim 1wherein the side and front upper surface areas are on approximately thesame horizontal level so that the user''s thighs extend generallyhorizontally.
 3. The seat of claim 1 wherein the rear surface areaextends an appreciable distance above the side surface areas whereby therear surface area exerts an extensive stress urging the user to bendforwardly at the waist.
 4. The seat of claim 1 wherein the rear uppersurface area has a slope angle of about 55*, and the upper side surfaceareas have slope angles of about 20*.
 5. The seat of claim 1 wherein thethigh-supporting surfaces, measured from the inner edge of the seat tothe outer edge, are about 5 inches in the horizontal direction; saidthigh-supporting surfaces being spaced apart about 3 inches.
 6. The seatof claim 1 wherein the upper rear surface area has a front-to-reardimension, measured in a horizontal direction, of about one and one-halfinches.
 7. The seat of claim 1 wherein the front outer edges of the seatconform generally to the plan contour of the bowl to providesubstantially no seat overhang; the thigh-supporting surfaces extendinginwardly from the seat outer edge for a distance of about 5 inches; saidthigh-supporting surfaces being spaced apart about 3 inches.
 8. Animproved toilet seat connectable to a conventional toilet bowl tooverlie the bowl upper face; said seat being located on a generallyhorizontal level, and being generally u-shaped in top plan outline; theupper surface of said seat including a steeply-sloped dished upper rearsurface area for supportive engagement with the user''s pelvis, twoshallowly-sloped dished upper side surface areas extending forwardlyfrom the rear surface area for supportive engagement with the user''sbuttocks, and two generally flat horizontal upper front surface areasextending forwardly and inwardly from the side surface areas forsupportive engagement with the user''s thighs; said front surface areasbeing spaced apart about 3 inches, and said front surface areas havinginner surface zones that extend considerable distances rearwardly fromthe front edge of the seat to provide extensive supportive areas for theuser''s thighs.
 9. The seat of claim 8 wherein the rear upper surfacearea has a slope angle of about 55*, and the upper side surface areas ofabout 20*; the upper rear surface area having a front-to-rear dimension,measured in a horizontal direction, of about 1 1/2 inches; the spacecircumscribed by the aforementioned upper surface areas being agenerally circular opening having a radius of about 4 1/2 inches; andsaid upper front surface areas extending forwardly of said circularopening for a distance of about 4 inches.
 10. The seat of claim 9wherein the steeply-sloped surface area has slope angle of about 55*,and the shallowly-sloped surface areas have slope angles of about 20*.11. The seat of claim 10 wherein the thigh-supporting surfaces measureabout 5 inches from the seat inner edge to the seat outer edge.
 12. Atoilet seat for positioning a conventional bowl, said seat having anouter peripheral edge and an inner peripheral edge; the upper surface ofthe seat including a steeply-sloped dished upper rear surface areaextending from the seat outer edge to the seat inner edge for supportiveengagement with the user''s pelvis; two shallowly-sloped dished upperside surface areas extending from the outer seat edge to the inner seatedge for supportive engagement with the user''s buttocks; and generallyflat horizontal upper front surface areas extending rearwardly from theouter front seat edge to the inner seat edge for supportive engagementwith the user''s thighs.
 13. The seat of claim 12 wherein thesteeply-sloped rear surface area extends upwardly a further distancethan the shallowly-sloped side surface areas, whereby the rear surfacearea urges the user to bend forwardly at the waist.